THE POWER OF FEELING ENJOYED

After failing in sin, some people cast themselves into “spiritual probation.” God does not impose this on them; they bring it on themselves. They take a week or a month or two to beat them- selves up to prove how sorry they are as a sort of penance. When we fail and then sincerely repent before Jesus, we can be assured that we continue as first-class citizens in His Kingdom. There is no need to relegate ourselves to some sort of probationary period before returning to the Lord. He would rather we just repent and push delete on the whole mess, and then run back into His presence crying, “Here I am, Lord! Your Beloved! Here I am!” We need to get right back up without slowing down in our pursuit of Him. When our hearts are assured that we can be fully known by God and still enjoyed by Him, something powerful happens

in our emotional chemistry. We discover a confidence in God never before imagined. This is startling news: God enjoys sincere believers even in their immaturity!

Our culture does not understand a God who enjoys people. God has been portrayed in a variety of ways, but usually as a grumpy old man who looks down stiffly on fun-loving humans. While the Bible gives us an accurate picture of God as righteous Judge of the Earth, most people have misinterpreted this and pictured God as being the God of Punishment. They’ve concen- trated on the judgment while ignoring the righteousness that demands it. Many believers are not entirely sure that God ever even thinks of them, and figure if He does, He’s probably disap- pointed, if not downright angry. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we must lay hold of is that God rejoices over us exactly like a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

As a bridegroom rejoices over [his] bride, so your God will rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5)

Much of our misunderstanding of God’s character springs from our personal histories. At some point in their life journey, almost everyone has opened their heart to another person, only to find such vulnerability met with apathy, rejection or even scorn. Perhaps you were the first-grader who fully understood that the teacher was less than fair with the treats. You may have been the fifteen-year-old boy who mustered the courage to pass a note to the girl sitting near you in study hall, only to see the note shredded, along with your heart. More poignantly, you may have been the adult who, in a moment of candor, whis- pered, “I love you,” and waited in awkward silence while the object of your affection withheld the same affirmation. The fear of rejection is learned behavior, and our earthly relationships offer us plenty of opportunity to learn it.

Nothing is as tender or raw as a bruised lover. The por- tion of our hearts that longs for love may become calloused on the surface as we vow, “I won’t let that happen again.” But just

below the surface sits a mass of bruised tissue, reminding us ev- ery day, “It hurts to be unloved and unwanted.” The irony of it all is that we are desired by God. While we preoccupy ourselves trying to fulfill our longing with the affirmation of others, God waits to reveal His affection to us.

As a young child, I experienced significant rejection by my peers. I was on my way to believing that God rejected me just like they did. When God broke in with this understanding of His enjoyment over me, somehow, in my childlike heart, I actually experienced and felt that God liked me. At recess I would find myself all alone singing songs to the One who enjoyed hearing my voice. Something powerful took place in my emotions as I received the first seeds of the amazing discovery that God delighted in me. —Deborah Hiebert

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